Published: Thursday, April 3, 2014 at 1:21 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, April 3, 2014 at 1:21 p.m.

SARASOTA - When the curtain rose for the first time at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, on Jan. 5, 1970, for the production of Fiddler on the Roof, Sarasota cemented its claim to being the cultural hub of the Gulf Coast of Florida.

Ground was broken on the hall on April 25, 1968. Armed with a shovel to push into the turf were Commissioner David Cohen, Mayor Jack Betz, City Manager Ken Thompson, Adolph “Chick” Frankel, Chairman of the auditorium advisory committee, and Paul Stannard, who had helped obtain a $430,000 grant from the Van Wezel Foundation.

Betz credited David Cohen “As the man who conceived the building,” and went on, “This is a great day for Sarasota and citizens of the county and other surrounding areas. This building exemplifies the character of the citizens and of the community perhaps more than any other structure.”

Cohen was a child prodigy violinist, a co-founder of the Florida West Coast Symphony and during its early years its business manager, president and concertmaster. To him Sarasota's need for a modern performing hall was acute, and he spearheaded the effort to build the Van Wezel.

Indeed, it was a giant step forward for the cultural life of the community. Previously, live entertainment was served up in the Mira Mar Auditorium, the Mediterranean Revival-designed hall downtown on McAnsh Square that had been built in 1924, its opening called “The Event of the Season.”

It was not the venue to entice top flight talent. Jazz dance bands passing through town played there, as did soprano Josephine Lucchese, an understudy to Helen Morgan; baritone Robert Ringling, Charles Ringling's son and a noted opera singer, put on a concert; as did Frieda Hempel, “The Jenny Lind of Today.” Lowell Thomas lectured to a full house, “With Lawrence in Arabia and Allenby in Palestine.”

It was also used for numerous community events from flower shows to fashion shows. But by 1955 its best years were behind it and it was demolished.

The other major entertainment venue, the cavernous Works Progress Administration-funded Municipal Auditorium, hosted and continues to host various events. It was built without regard to acoustics; an unrefined workhorse of a building that was opened in time for the annual Sara de Sota Pageant on Feb. 24, 1938, and still serves a multitude of civic functions: proms, dances, beauty pageants, home shows, flea markets, flower shows, and various performances.

Neither lent themselves to the high caliber of entertainment that modern Sarasota sought, but the Lewis and Eugenia Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall would bring world-class productions and an eclectic array of top flight talent.

Progress on the construction of the unusual looking but beautiful building on Sarasota Bay was closely followed, derided by some as the “Purple People Seater” or “Purple Cow.”

Designed by the renowned William Wesley Peters of Taliesin, of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the color scheme, floor coverings and fabrics were selected by Mrs. Frank Lloyd Wright. The project director, Vernon D. Swaback, predicted that over time, “People will understand it and with more exposure be as enthusiastic as we are.” He assured “The purple color may have a harsh appearance now but it will fade to smoother lavender with a little time.”

With the controversial color swirling, Swaback sent a letter to William C. Coleman, chairman of the Van Wezel Hall's operating committee: “In summary, we can only ask for a reasonable amount of faith in our professional judgment and the record it has produced.”

The Hall reportedly cost $2,475,000. Peters, discussing the building some years later, said, “The design was suggested by a serrated, lavender colored seashell that had come into my possession. It was designed to reflect its waterfront location and the entire West Coast of Florida environment.

“I had shown the shell to Mrs. Frank Lloyd Wright and she said, 'Why not paint it the same color as the shell?' ”

Thompson was nonplussed by the controversy, remarking, “If a building doesn't provoke some kind of discussion then it probably isn't a successful piece of architecture.”

St. Petersburg Times Art and Architecture writer Charles Benbow assured skeptics that Sarasota could be proud of it. As it was designed by “one of the world's most famous architectural groups,” that alone “will guarantee wide recognition for the hall...and draw sightseers off highway U.S. 41 for many years.”

At its completion, County Commissioner William Carey congratulated the city on its achievement. “It's magnificent, really magnificent,” he said. “It's the most outstanding civic accomplishment to date. It will do much to improve and stabilize the cultural image of Sarasota.”

Opening night was a suitably grand affair and it was given high marks by attendees. This was a symbol of modern Sarasota — beautiful, refined and cultured.

Mayor D. William Overton addressed the audience for a few minutes before the curtain time. “I know all of you will join me in saluting the latest gem in the Bayfront Tiara of the city of Sarasota. We all must surely admit that our new gem is an amethyst.”

He read a congratulatory telegram from Gov. Claude R. Kirk: “It is another outstanding example of why Florida living is the very finest,” he enthused.

Audience reaction on that opening night was favorable. Dick Bloom of the Herald wrote: “Comments made by first-nighters as they entered the richly endowed grand foyer of the theatre included the repeated use of such equally splendorous adjectives as 'magnificent,' 'tremendous,' 'awesome,' and more to exhaust the most complete of dictionaries.”

For effect, William Wesley Peters arrived dressed in a purple tuxedo.

No one had followed the progress of the construction more closely than Thompson. When Peters was in town he often stayed at the Thompson residence, and when the floor to the hall stage was put in, Vernon Swaback, one of the architects, and Thompson and his wife, Barbara, went over to have a celebratory glass of champagne. Thompson performed a juggling act, quipping that he was the first to perform at the Hall.

<p><em>SARASOTA</em> - When the curtain rose for the first time at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, on Jan. 5, 1970, for the production of Fiddler on the Roof, Sarasota cemented its claim to being the cultural hub of the Gulf Coast of Florida. </p><p>Ground was broken on the hall on April 25, 1968. Armed with a shovel to push into the turf were Commissioner David Cohen, Mayor Jack Betz, City Manager Ken Thompson, Adolph “Chick” Frankel, Chairman of the auditorium advisory committee, and Paul Stannard, who had helped obtain a $430,000 grant from the Van Wezel Foundation. </p><p>Betz credited David Cohen “As the man who conceived the building,” and went on, “This is a great day for Sarasota and citizens of the county and other surrounding areas. This building exemplifies the character of the citizens and of the community perhaps more than any other structure.”</p><p>Cohen was a child prodigy violinist, a co-founder of the Florida West Coast Symphony and during its early years its business manager, president and concertmaster. To him Sarasota's need for a modern performing hall was acute, and he spearheaded the effort to build the Van Wezel.</p><p>Indeed, it was a giant step forward for the cultural life of the community. Previously, live entertainment was served up in the Mira Mar Auditorium, the Mediterranean Revival-designed hall downtown on McAnsh Square that had been built in 1924, its opening called “The Event of the Season.” </p><p>It was not the venue to entice top flight talent. Jazz dance bands passing through town played there, as did soprano Josephine Lucchese, an understudy to Helen Morgan; baritone Robert Ringling, Charles Ringling's son and a noted opera singer, put on a concert; as did Frieda Hempel, “The Jenny Lind of Today.” Lowell Thomas lectured to a full house, “With Lawrence in Arabia and Allenby in Palestine.”</p><p>It was also used for numerous community events from flower shows to fashion shows. But by 1955 its best years were behind it and it was demolished.</p><p>The other major entertainment venue, the cavernous Works Progress Administration-funded Municipal Auditorium, hosted and continues to host various events. It was built without regard to acoustics; an unrefined workhorse of a building that was opened in time for the annual Sara de Sota Pageant on Feb. 24, 1938, and still serves a multitude of civic functions: proms, dances, beauty pageants, home shows, flea markets, flower shows, and various performances.</p><p>Neither lent themselves to the high caliber of entertainment that modern Sarasota sought, but the Lewis and Eugenia Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall would bring world-class productions and an eclectic array of top flight talent.</p><p>Progress on the construction of the unusual looking but beautiful building on Sarasota Bay was closely followed, derided by some as the “Purple People Seater” or “Purple Cow.”</p><p>Designed by the renowned William Wesley Peters of Taliesin, of the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, the color scheme, floor coverings and fabrics were selected by Mrs. Frank Lloyd Wright. The project director, Vernon D. Swaback, predicted that over time, “People will understand it and with more exposure be as enthusiastic as we are.” He assured “The purple color may have a harsh appearance now but it will fade to smoother lavender with a little time.”</p><p>With the controversial color swirling, Swaback sent a letter to William C. Coleman, chairman of the Van Wezel Hall's operating committee: “In summary, we can only ask for a reasonable amount of faith in our professional judgment and the record it has produced.” </p><p>The Hall reportedly cost $2,475,000. Peters, discussing the building some years later, said, “The design was suggested by a serrated, lavender colored seashell that had come into my possession. It was designed to reflect its waterfront location and the entire West Coast of Florida environment.</p><p>“I had shown the shell to Mrs. Frank Lloyd Wright and she said, 'Why not paint it the same color as the shell?' ”</p><p>Thompson was nonplussed by the controversy, remarking, “If a building doesn't provoke some kind of discussion then it probably isn't a successful piece of architecture.”</p><p>St. Petersburg Times Art and Architecture writer Charles Benbow assured skeptics that Sarasota could be proud of it. As it was designed by “one of the world's most famous architectural groups,” that alone “will guarantee wide recognition for the hall...and draw sightseers off highway U.S. 41 for many years.”</p><p>At its completion, County Commissioner William Carey congratulated the city on its achievement. “It's magnificent, really magnificent,” he said. “It's the most outstanding civic accomplishment to date. It will do much to improve and stabilize the cultural image of Sarasota.”</p><p>Opening night was a suitably grand affair and it was given high marks by attendees. This was a symbol of modern Sarasota — beautiful, refined and cultured.</p><p>Mayor D. William Overton addressed the audience for a few minutes before the curtain time. “I know all of you will join me in saluting the latest gem in the Bayfront Tiara of the city of Sarasota. We all must surely admit that our new gem is an amethyst.”</p><p>He read a congratulatory telegram from Gov. Claude R. Kirk: “It is another outstanding example of why Florida living is the very finest,” he enthused.</p><p>Audience reaction on that opening night was favorable. Dick Bloom of the Herald wrote: “Comments made by first-nighters as they entered the richly endowed grand foyer of the theatre included the repeated use of such equally splendorous adjectives as 'magnificent,' 'tremendous,' 'awesome,' and more to exhaust the most complete of dictionaries.”</p><p>For effect, William Wesley Peters arrived dressed in a purple tuxedo.</p><p>No one had followed the progress of the construction more closely than Thompson. When Peters was in town he often stayed at the Thompson residence, and when the floor to the hall stage was put in, Vernon Swaback, one of the architects, and Thompson and his wife, Barbara, went over to have a celebratory glass of champagne. Thompson performed a juggling act, quipping that he was the first to perform at the Hall.</p><p><empty></p>